PGA Tour Won’t Talk About The McIlroy-Koepka Player Of The Year Voting

The Sheriff Of Nottingham  (aka PGA Tour commish) Jay Monahan talked his way past the front gate guards at The Bears Club in Jupiter this week to present some hardware to the newly-crowned PGA Tour  Player Of The Year.

That award is appropriately named after Jack Williams Nicklaus, who rules over the ultra-secure, ultra-ritzy enclave over in Jupiter, Florida, right there on Donald Ross Road.

Apparently Jack was kind enough to leave the Sheriff’s name at the front gate and he was granted entry, most likely with some of his henchmen along for the ride.

The task at hand was to present likeable Rory McIlroy with the Nicklaus trophy.  The secret ballots were in and for the first time in 28 years, we have two different  Players Of The Year.

Brooks Koepka won the POY from the PGA Of America.  The PGA has a cut-and-dry points system.  No voting involved.  No hanging chads, no voting interference from Russia.

But the PGA Tour has the players vote.

First thing everyone might ask is “How close was that voting?”  Fair question.

Of course  The Sheriff and his Henchmen  initiated a media conference call and as soon as a question came up as to how close the voting was or exactly how many voted and so forth, the conference call came to an abrupt end.  Pretty typical for The Sheriff, who likes to maintain control over the peasants.

The world’s last surviving golf writer — Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press — decided it would be a good idea to actually be a reporter and ask the logical question.

Ferguson asked Rory during said media conference call if he knew how close the race had finished. “I inquired,” McIlroy said, “and they are keeping tight-lipped on that.”

That did it and the call was ended after just seven questions.  Apparently Ferguson’s inquiry threw  The Sheriff of Nottingham  into a tizzy and he had his henchmen end the media session — quickly.

When it comes to transparency, the PGA Tour throws up the dreaded  Cone Of Silence.

So none of us out here in Golf-Land will know how close it may or may not have been.

One thing you can do is follow the money on this one.  Rory won $2.25 million at The Players and that hefty $15 million at the Tour Championship — a whopping $17.25 million in two events and those two events are majors in the eyes of the PGA Tour.

The fact that the tour has nothing to do with the four “real” majors most likely irks the heck out of everyone at Ponte Vedre.

Augusta National Golf Club owns and runs The Masters, The USGA operates the U.S. Open, the PGA Of America owns and operates the PGA Championship and the Open Championship is ruled by the R&A.

Also, money talks.  You can imagine the check writes at FedEx having a quick chat with the Powers At Ponte Vedre and expressing their hopes that the FedEx winner just might end up as Player Of The Year.  Money talks — big money screams.

Which brings us back to Rory and the fact that he may simply be a lot more likeable in the minds an hearts of his peers.

Koepka does carry an air of arrogance about him.  Winning majors can do that.

But this go-round, it’s a pair of Players Of The Year.

Koepka winning on PGA Of America points and Rory on votes cast by his peers.

Cut and dry from the PGA — an air of mystery from the PGA Tour.

Would you really expect transparency?